Castillo Hopes To Sign With Another Team
Luis Castillo told Newsday's Jim Baumbach that he intends to play Major League Baseball in 2011 (all Twitter links). The Mets released him this morning, but he plans to sign elswhere.
"I'm going to wait, go home and hope to catch on with another team," Castillo said.
Castillo told Baumbach that he's frustrated the Mets didn't use him more. However, Castillo says he'll be "fine," since he has accomplished a lot as a major leaguer. The Phillies and Tigers have dealt with injuries at second base this spring, but there's no indication that either team is interested in Castillo.
Phillies Notes: Utley, Polanco, Knapp
The latest on the Phillies, before they take on their intra-state rivals far from Pennsylvania…
- The Phillies' goal with Chase Utley is to avoid surgery at all costs, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- As Olney points out in a column at ESPN.com, this is the point in the spring where injuries have a good chance of impacting Opening Day rosters.
- The Phillies say they aren't worried about Placido Polanco, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The infielder, who is dealing with a hyperextended elbow, practiced yesterday and won't play in a game for at least two days.
- Former Phillies prospect Jason Knapp tells Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he was healthy when Philadelphia sent him to Cleveland as part of the summer 2009 Cliff Lee trade. Knapp, still just 20, has recovered from shoulder problems to re-establish himself as one of Cleveland's top prospects.
Rangers, Wilson To Table Extension Talks For Now
The Rangers and C.J. Wilson’s agent have discussed a multiyear deal that would keep the left-hander in Texas after the 2011 season, but the sides don’t appear likely to continue discussions once the season starts, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Agent Bob Garber and Rangers executives Jon Daniels and Thad Levine discussed ways of extending Wilson’s tenure with the Rangers without making significant progress.
Wilson, who is set to hit free agency after the season, says “it doesn't look like a deal is going to get done” before Opening Day. And once the season starts, Wilson says he prefers to focus on pitching, not contract negotiations.
The Rangers negotiated with Wilson throughout the winter, even after they avoided arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $7MM salary for 2011. Daniels says he values Wilson and is “not going to close the door on anything."
NL Central Notes: Arnsberg, Lyles, Reds
Links from the NL Central as Brewers fans learn that Manny Parra could miss the start of the regular season with a back issue…
- ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick examines an unheralded Astros rotation and one of the keys to its success: pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.
- Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com places Jordan Lyles atop his list of Astros prospects and says the right-hander will arrive in Houston at some point this year, even if he starts off in the minor leagues.
- Cincinnati VP Bob Miller told readers at MLB.com that the Reds have one of the deepest rotations he has ever seen. “While some will argue that we don't have a true No. 1 starter, I feel we have the potential for three or four guys to become true No. 1s,” Miller said.
Omar Minaya Still Considering Job With Mets
Mets GM Sandy Alderson met with Omar Minaya earlier in the week to determine Minaya's role in the Mets' revamped front office, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. Alderson, who succeeded Minaya this October, said he outlined possible responsibilities for Minaya, who is still determining whether he wants to remain in the organization.
The Mets are paying Minaya for 2011 and 2012 regardless of whether he works for them. He'll earn about $1MM per year on his contract, which he signed after the 2008 campaign. For a closer look at the moves the Mets made under Minaya from 2004-10, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
The Timeline For Adam Wainwright’s Options
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he "hasn't thought about" whether he'll exercise the reasonable $21MM option for Adam Wainwright’s 2012 and 2013 seasons. The words are jarring at first, since fans are wondering about the option and Wainwright is, too. And while Mozeliak is almost certainly exaggerating when he says he hasn’t thought about the decision, thinking and talking about the option doesn’t help the Cardinals much at this point.
If the Cardinals say they intend to exercise the option and something unexpected happens, like Wainwright suffers a setback, then the front office would find itself in an awkward position. They can avoid P.R. nightmares and maintain maximum flexibility by remaining mute on the issue until the last possible moment.
The Cardinals took a similar approach last year, when they waited until after the regular season before exercising Albert Pujols’ 2011 option. Everyone knew that Pujols wasn’t hitting the open market, but St. Louis was able to minimize risk by delaying the announcement until after the season.
Though Cardinals starters Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia are living proof that recovering from Tommy John surgery is realistic, it’s not safe to assume anything when it comes to serious elbow injuries. At this point, the Cardinals are in wait and see mode like the rest of us, hoping that Wainwright’s rehab doesn’t go awry. They’ve clearly “thought about” Wainwright’s option, but it’s conceivable that they won’t do much more than that until considerably closer to the end of the season.
Poll: Neftali Feliz’s 2011 Role
The extended experiment may be coming to an end. The Rangers seem likely to return Neftali Feliz to the bullpen for the 2011 season and end his spring stint as a starter.
The 22-year-old was last year's AL Rookie of the Year as the Rangers closer, when he saved 40 games and posted a 2.73 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 69 1/3 innings. Given those results, the Rangers' lack of shutdown relievers besides Feliz and their manager's desire for a proven closer, it's easy to see why the Rangers would return Feliz to the 'pen for at least one more year.
On the other hand, elite starters are harder to come by than elite relievers and they're on the mound for three times as many innings as most closers. Feliz's secondary offerings may not be finely tuned, but it stands to reason that they won't get any sharper if he's only pitching one inning at a time. You can make the argument that the Rangers should use Feliz as a starter and make do with their current bullpen or trade for an extra reliever.
What role would you assign Feliz for 2011 if you were in GM Jon Daniels' position?
Does Neftali Feliz belong in the 'pen or in the rotation?
-
In the bullpen 55% (3,677)
-
In the rotation 45% (3,026)
Total votes: 6,703
Heyman On Wainwright, McLouth, Marlins, Mets
The Orioles don’t look like contenders to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who suggests yesterday's 10-0 loss to the Yankees could be a sign of things to come. Here are Heyman's latest rumors…
- Three rival GMs tell Heyman that they expect the Cardinals to exercise Adam Wainwright’s $21MM option for 2012-13 after the season. Wainwright is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't pitch in 2011, but has pitched at a Cy Young level for the past two seasons.
- However, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says he “hasn’t thought about” Wainwright's option yet.
- Matt Holliday and Heyman agree that it’s a no-brainer for St. Louis to pick it up. To see what $21MM buys on the free agent market, click here.
- Some people in the Braves organization are referring to Nate McLouth as "Pittsburgh Nate,'' since they’ve been impressed with his performance this spring. McLouth posted an .801 OPS in Pittsburgh and has just a .709 mark with the Braves.
- Braves GM Frank Wren says Craig Kimbrel’s slow start doesn’t worry him.
- One NL scout expects the Marlins to “surprise some people” despite their current spring losing streak.
- Luis Castillo remains a “slight favorite” to win the Mets’ second base job.
Quick Hits: Utley, Wainwright, Harris, Young, Sheets
Some links for St. Patrick's Day as players don green uniforms in Arizona and Florida…
- Chase Utley has made "minimal" improvement since taking a shot for his injured knee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Though Utley can hit and field, he can't run, so Wilson Valdez will play second base for the time being.
- Adam Wainwright told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's anticipating a high-stakes rehab, since the Cardinals may not exercise his $21MM option for 2012-13 if he struggles. "There's a lot of money resting on me coming back healthy next year," he said.
- Willie Harris can opt out of his contract with the Mets on March 27th, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). There seems to be a good chance that Harris will make the team and the opt-out won't be an issue.
- Michael Young told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he has found it tough to develop a rhythm this spring, partly because he has been bouncing from one position to another.
- Not surprisingly, Ben Sheets isn't negotiating with any teams, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Sheets' 2010 season ended early when he needed flexor tendon surgery.
Reinsdorf On Williams, Guillen, Marlins, Crede
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf told Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com that he went ‘all in’ for 2011 because “the idea of being bad for two or three years is a horrible thought when you’re 75 years old.” The White Sox considered rebuilding this offseason, but decided to spend and attempt to become the best team in the AL Central. Here’s more from Reinsdorf:
- Reinsdorf says there’s a natural tension between managers and general managers that will flare up at times. But he says he expects GM Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen to be in Chicago “for a long time.”
- The Marlins expressed interest in talking to Guillen about their managerial opening last fall and Reinsdorf told the Marlins he would let his manager out of his contract if Guillen wanted to manage the Marlins and they gave up something in exchange. “If you want to talk to him,” Reinsdorf told the Marlins, “we have to agree on what we get if he decides to leave.” Though the sides never came to an agreement, Mike Stanton's name came up.
- The White Sox were ready to commit to Joe Crede on a long-term deal and “Scott Boras didn’t [want to] talk about it,” Reinsdorf said. “Look what that’s cost Crede.”